The Answer
by havinghopeagainsthope
Summary: Gray told Juvia he'd give her an answer after the fight. What will Gray's answer be? Will Gray change his mind because of the situation they were put in? Spoiler alert - if you are not up to date with the manga don't read it now.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It took every ounce of magical power from every Fairy Tail member and other wizards fighting against the Spriggan 12 to defeat Zeref. Everyone channeled their magical energy into Natsu and Mavis, and they delivered the final blow. Zeref is not dead per say, but has been put under a powerful seal. A seal that can only be put or removed by people dear to the target.

Once Zeref was put under the seal, everyone cheers and falls on the floor, next moment, due to exhaustion. No one knew how long they had been fighting the enemy. But now that the enemy had been defeated they all realize how weak their bodies had become and people they lost. One person though seemed to have lost consciousness as she fell. Gray holds her before she comes in contact with the floor. "Juvia! JUVIA!"

Gray had asked Juvia to stay out of this since she was already weak from the spell she had used to revive him but she wouldn't listen.

Polyusica comes over to check her. "Tch, why do you all have to be so reckless! You, Fairy Tail kids are so annoying! I hate humans!"

"Polyusica-san, is she alright?" Gray asks hiding his frustration with her.

"Ummm… she's just weak. She should wake up in a couple of days." She leaves them to check on the other wizards scattered around the nearly destroyed Fairy Tail guild hall.

Gray holds Juvia close to him, "I told you to stay put! Why won't you listen to me!" A few tears escape his eyes. He prays to every God he'd heard of for Juvia. He didn't let go off her. He sits down holding her. A weak breath hits his chest and he sighs in relief.

 **Few hours later**

"Gray, take Juvia to the basement. We've turned the prison cells into the infirmary for now." Erza tells him with authority and a hint of sadness.

Gray gets up mechanically, carrying Juvia in his arms. Erza has never seen him like this before. She smiles at his retreating back, "Gray, hang in there." She turns around to push others downstairs to get some rest.

Gray didn't move from her side. He didn't even know when Polyusica had bandaged him. Natsu brings him a change of clothes. Natsu is heavily bandaged as well.

"Natsu… sorry. At that time, I just lost it when Juvia died and defeating Invel was not enough. When he told me, you are END, I just had to kill you. For a moment, I forgot you are my… nakama." Gray cries out.

"Oye! Don't go soft on me. I was trying to do the same thing. I probably would have if Erza hadn't stopped us." Natsu points out.

He snorts, "I would have gotten you not the other way around."

"Do you want to have another go?" Natsu challenges him.

"Some other time. But just so you know, I'm the only one who can defeat you so you better be good."

"As if!" Natsu sighs, "How is she?"

"I don't know. But the old lady said she'll be up in a few days."

Gray changes his clothes in a makeshift changing room at the end of the basement. Natsu and Gray sit in comfortable silence for a short while.

"Well, this silence is too much for me, I'm leaving." Natsu and Gray exchange glances and the fire mage leaves.

Someone or the other visits Juvia throughout the day. Gajeel's eyes moisten when he sees Juvia on the bed, looking frail. Levy takes his hand in hers to comfort him and assures him that Juvia will wake up soon. Lucy and Happy shed tears. Wendy and Carla are too shocked to say anything. Gray thanks Wendy for healing her immediately. Lyon visits her as well. When Lyon hugs Gray, he is surprised when Gray returns it. Erza, Cana, Mirajane or Lisanna usually bring food for Gray.

Polyusica checks on Juvia twice a day. She never answers Gray properly when he asks her about the water mage waking up. With each passing day Gray's anxiety only increases. Just like she was able to bring him back from the dead, he wants to bring her back. Gray ends up shedding tears when he is alone with her. "Wake up, please wake up."

"I'm so incapable of protecting you. I can't do anything for you. You deserve someone way better than me. Please, just wake up and I'll never put you in such a position where you'd have to go to such an extent for me."

* * *

On the twenty seventh day, in the afternoon, a small weak voice comes from Juvia's mouth, "um…"

Gray stands up, gets closer to her and cups her cheek.

* * *

 **Tell me what you guys think! Well, I, originally, wanted to write a Navia fic and when I was pondering over possible plots, this particular story came to mind! I said to myself, 'lemme, give it a shot!'**

 **I hope you guys like it!**

 **Enjoy, Neepa... :-)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Wa…wa…ter…" Juvia still feels weak. She feels someone gently lift her head up and bring a glass to her lips. She tries to take a huge gulp of water.

"Easy now. Don't drink too much at once." She hears a voice tell her. She is given a few more sips. The hand gently lowers her head on to the pillow.

She hears footsteps moving away from her and out the door. _'But Juvia wants you to stay.'_

* * *

After giving Juvia some water, Gray rushes out of the makeshift infirmary to the nearly rebuilt guild hall. "I think Juvia is waking up," he announces.

Everyone present stands up in surprise. Partly, because Juvia is waking up and partly, because Gray moved away from Juvia's bed.

Erza, the new guild master, says, "Someone go get Polyusica-san."

"I'll go." Gray says immediately.

Erza is shocked. "You should be here with Juvia."

"No, I want to go."

"Gray…"

"Don't stop me Erza!" His voice crumbles a little, "I can't see her put herself through something like that again."

"It's not like you can stop her." Lucy interjects. "That girl is madly in love with you. She'll do anything for you."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I don't want her to hurt herself for my sake anymore. I've decided to end it."

"What do you mean by that?" Cana asks with an edge in voice.

"I'm going to tell her I don't love her and end it once and for all. I can't go through another person dying for me." He says painfully.

"Good luck convincing her." Gajeel says sarcastically.

"You all are going to help me. Don't tell her that I was by her side all these days. Don't tell her anything."

Everyone falls silent. They are pondering on his words and can't find the right words to say to him to change his mind.

After a long pause, Natsu says, "Well that's just BS, Ice Cone."

"Whatever it seems like, I don't care. This is the best way to keep her safe and… alive." He chokes on the last word.

Natsu tries to say something else but Erza stops him. "Gray, go, get Polyusica-san."

Gray runs out of the guild.

"Erza! Why did you stop me?" Natsu asks angrily.

"He has to find his own way. He'll realize soon enough that what he wants to do is stupid." Erza smirks. She turns around to go to Juvia.

* * *

The water mage opens her eyes slowly just as Erza walks into the room.

"How are you feeling now?" The new guild master smiles at her kindly.

Juvia looks at her with confusion etched on her face.

"What's the matter?" Erza asks in worry.

"Gr-Gray-sama was here?!"

"No he was not." Erza says in a dead-pan voice.

"Erza-san, don't lie. Juvia heard his voice."

Before Erza could say anything further, some of the other members of the guild walked in.

"How do you feel, Juvia?" Lucy asks.

"You shouldn't move too much until Polyusica-san checks on you." Levy says with concern.

"Ameonna, way to get everyone worried!" Gajeel comments.

"Do you want some fish?" Happy asks offering her a raw fish.

"Damn that Ice Princess!" Natsu mutters but Juvia hears him.

Juvia smiles at everyone there. "Thank you for taking care of Juvia when she was hurt. Juvia is sorry for worrying all of you."

"You are nakama after all, we'd all be worried." Cana says.

Juvia spends time talking with the rest of the members until Polyusica appears in the doorway. "Everybody out," she orders.

Begrudgingly, everyone files out of the room. Polyusica checks her vitals. "You do realize, you could have died, right?"

Juvia looks down and nods.

The old lady sighs in irritation, "I should have known that every member of Fairy Tail goes all the way, not thinking about the consequences. Do you know how many people I've had to heal in these past few weeks?"

"Juvia just got up."

She ignores her, "You seem to be doing well. There's no danger. But it would be better if you didn't take up jobs for a while."

"Thank you, Polyusica-san."

She just 'hmphs' in irritation. "If you tried that spell again, nothing can save you."

"Juvia knows. Juvia wasn't supposed to survive this time either. Thanks to Carla's premonition and Wendy's healing power, Juvia was revived. If Juvia had to do it all over again she'd do it again to save Gray-sama."

"Humans irritate me so much." She grumbles.

"Polyusica-san is also human." Juvia mumbles.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Well, you can leave as soon as change clothes." She places a bag of clothes on the bedside table and leaves the room.

For the first time, Juvia pays attention to what she is wearing. She's in a white tank top and dark blue shorts. Her body was covered in minor cuts and scratches. Her eyes widen, _'Hmmm… who changed Juvia's clothes?'_

Juvia changes her clothes and goes to the guild hall, everyone cheers for her when they see her and they have a mini party. Though she smiles cheerfully at everyone, her eyes are looking only for the object of her affection. The ice wizard is mysteriously absent from the guild and Juvia has a feeling that everybody is trying to hide something from her.

* * *

The next day, Gray walks into the guild hoping he doesn't run into Juvia. _'I hope she is resting in her dorm room and doesn't come to the guild today, after all, Polyusica-san asked her take it easy for a while._ ' He spots her at a table looking at him expectantly. _'Nevermind.'_

He appraises her as he walks over to her, _'She is looking good, there's colour on her cheeks and sparks in her eyes. She has healed well.'_ "Hi Juvia."

"Good Morning, Gray-sama."

"Ya, good morning." He is surprised by her cheerfulness, "How do you feel now?"

"Juvia is fine, thank you for asking."

"Good to know. Well, see you around. I'm going to job now. We've just started taking jobs again."

Juvia looks at him in shock, "Does Gray-sama not want to say anything else to Juvia?"

By now the entire guild quieted down to watch the interaction between them. To not make it seem obvious, they continue to do what they were doing but keep watching them from the corner of their eyes.

"What else is there to say?"

"Gray-sama promised that he would give Juvia an answer once The Spriggan 12 were dealt with."

"Do I really have to spell it out for you Juvia?" He asks her coldly. "I was never interested in you and I never will be." He looks down at the table as he says it.

Juvia, ever the optimist, says, "Then maybe Gray-sama should tell her the same while looking right at her."

"Whatever. I've said what I've wanted to say. Maybe you should stop bothering me now." He raises his voice a little.

"Gray-sama, what's really going on? Why are you being…" she gestures at his body, "like this?"

"I'm always like this. And what is with the 'sama'? Stop it already. It is annoying."

Juvia gets more and more confused by the second. _'Before Fairy Tail was attacked, when Gray-sama said he'd give Juvia an answer. Juvia assumed it was going to be good news. Because he didn't sound like he was going to break Juvia's heart. Or maybe, Juvia didn't want to see any other outcome. This, right now, Juvia did not see this coming. But for some reason, a small voice in Juvia's head is asking her to not believe it.'_

Gray waits for her to say something or react in anyway. He knew he had to do it someday. The only problem was is his own throbbing heart. _'Treacherous Organ!'_

Much to everyone's surprise, Juvia just gets up and walks out of the guild hall without uttering another word.

Gray's jaw drops. _'What just happened here?"_

* * *

 **Hello everyone! what do you think about this chapter? Well, I hope you all like it! Thank you for reading!**

 **Enjoy! Neepa :-)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"What the hell, Gray!" Natsu shouts.

"That was very cold!" Cana comments.

"Even Gajeel is not that inconsiderate" Levy states.

"What's that supposed to mean, squirt?" Gajeel stands behind Levy with his arms crossed on his chest and a small frown on his face.

"Just that you're not as cold as Gray." She says while fiddling with her fingers nervously.

He sighs and rests his hand on her head. "That was just sad."

"Gajeel, don't use me as a stand for your arm!" Levy's face is red out of embarrassment and rising anger.

"Wonder how Jellal would do this?" Erza mumbles to herself. "That's right! He'd say that he's engaged to someone else." She sighs in disappointment.

In some corner of Fiore, the Crime Sorciere leader sneezes.

"Gray that was so not the way to go." Lucy tells him.

"You guys don't understand anything." Gray says in frustration.

"It's okay to be afraid, Gray. But it's not right to let your fear hold you back." Mirajane places a hand on his shoulder and pats him.

"You wouldn't stop fighting in the middle of a battle just because you are afraid, would you?" Bickslow asks.

"Would you? Would you? Would you?" Bickslow's wooden dolls repeat after him.

"Let him be! Don't pressurize him to do something he doesn't want to do." Laxus tells everyone.

"Well, if Laxus doesn't want to interfere then the Raijinshuu will not interfere." Freed declares.

"Whatever Laxus says, goes." Evergreen chimes.

Laxus sighs in defeat.

"But it's not very manly, Ever!" Elfman tells her. "A true man pushes others in the right direction."

"First of all, only the Raijinshuu calls me Ever. And second of all, I'm not a man!" She kicks Elfman in the face and he crushes through some tables.

"No fighting in the guild!" Erza bellows. Evergreen cowers a little.

"How long do they plan on pretending like we don't know about them?" Freed whispers to Bickslow and he just shrugs in response.

"But if our nakama is doing something stupid, then we should stop him, don't you think so Laxus?" Cana challenges him.

Cana and Laxus eye each other. Neither backing down. While Cana looks at him with anger and frustration, Laxus looks at her with nonchalance.

' _Kawaii!'_ Laxus thinks to himself. Cana is on a table with a bottle in her hand instead of a barrel wearing her trademark black bikini top and black capris and heels. He closes his eyes and sighs, "Gray, just go get the damn girl before she floods the entire town."

"But it's not raining." Laki points out.

"And there are no clouds either." Max says, eliciting a gasp from everyone.

"Maybe, Juvia doesn't love Gray anymore?" Warren thinks out loud.

"That is plausible considering what Gray did moments ago." Carla says in rebuking tone.

"Carla!" Wendy stops Carla.

"Or maybe Juvia is leaving Magnolia." Lily says thoughtfully.

"Gray, why would you make Juvia leave?" Happy's eyes fill with tears, ready to spill out.

"Happy, this is only speculation." Gray scratches his cheek awkwardly.

"Besides, the Juvia I know is not that weak." Gajeel says.

"Gajeel, please move your hand!" Levy squeals.

The others nod at his statement.

"GRAY! I hope this brings you back to your senses." Natsu runs rapidly towards Gray. "Natsu Punch!"

Before Gray realizes what is happening, Natsu's fist connects with Gray's jaw. "Damn you, Natsu!" And he gets ready to launch a punch of his own.

"Hey! Were you just imitating me?" Lucy is outraged.

"No fighting in the guild!" Erza orders and thumps them hard on their heads.

"Erza!" Both Natsu and Gray cry out!

"Gray, you better fix this! And fix this quick." Erza says with a dark glint in her eyes.

Gray trembles a little at her seriousness but doesn't move from his place.

"We are not going to help you do something wrong." She says in a gentler voice.

"The faster you find her, the faster you can fix it." Cana says.

"There's nothing to fix. You all are way too meddlesome." Gray tells them.

"How thick can you be?" Lisanna asks angrily. "The girl loves you like crazy! Forget that, you love her like crazy. If the past few days are not a testament to your feelings for her, then why the hell did you stay with her until she got up?"

The words hit Gray in the deepest corners of his heart. "I care for her just like I care for all of you." He says in a small voice but everyone hears him loud and clear.

Pin drop silence.

Then everybody bursts out laughing.

"It's not that we doubt your feelings for us, Gray." Lucy says with tears in her eyes. "It's just that you wouldn't stay by our beds for weeks without doing anything else.

He turns red. "Whatever!"

"While this certainly has been entertaining, it's getting old now." Romeo says.

"You can say that again." Cana high fives Romeo.

"And you are fooling no one." Mirajane says with a bright smile on her face.

Freed blushes when he sees her smiling.

' _I have to get out of here. These guys are crushing me.'_ Gray thinks. _'Also, I want to find Juvia. What is she thinking? Is she really going to leave town? No, no, no, no! The way she reacted was so unlike her.'_

"I'm going to look for her." Gray says runs out of the guild. He hears a loud cheer when he is meters away from the guild gates.

"Maybe they'll get married soon." Lucy wonders.

"A wedding!" Erza eyes sparkle in excitement. "This time I'm not going to miss a wedding." She throws a dark gaze at Bisca and Alzack.

The shooters tremble. "Erza-san we already apologized for not waiting." Bisca says.

"What makes you think Gray wants to get married soon?" Cana says after wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

"It's just an idea." Lucy says nervously. "Besides after everything we went through, there should be a joyous occasion to celebrate." She whispers.

"What are your thoughts on marriage, Cana?" Laxus asks, shocking everybody. Everybody knows, Laxus is not much of a talker.

Cana chokes mid-sip. She smirks playfully, "Why? Are you asking?"

He shrugs. "Maybe."

He brunette's eyes widen in surprise. "Well, I'm free on Saturday, let's do it!"

He smirks at her, "It's a date then."

The entire guild looks from Laxus to Cana to figure out if they are joking or being serious.

"I'll arrest anyone who tries to get hitched before Levy and me." Gajeel declares.

"Gaaaaaajeeeeeeeeeeeeelllll! You idiot!" Levy punches him repeatedly on his abdomen.

' _Holy crap! I need to find Jellal soon!'_ Erza gets worried.

"You can't arrest someone for getting married before you, Iron Block!" Natsu yells.

"Carla let's get married. I'll share all my fish with you." Happy says cheerfully.

"Shut up, Happy!"

Mirajane giggles at the commotion in front of her, "Guess, it's time to use some matchmaking magic."

* * *

Gray checks every possible place where Juvia could go to. He, first, went to Fairy Hills. Since everyone was in the guild he didn't have to sneak in. But girls' dorm was empty. He went to the river, the park, some cafes and restaurants that he knew she liked. But he couldn't find her anywhere.

' _Where the hell could she be?'_ He is about to pass by his own apartment building when he sees a flash of blue on the stairs leading into the building. He stops in front of the bluenette but she is so lost in thought that she fails to notice Gray standing in front of her.

"Juvia! What are you doing here?" Gray asks her with concern.

Juvia is startled by his voice. "Gray-sama, Juvia is sorry. Juvia was walking around town and she didn't realize that she was at Gray-sama's building. Juvia knows, she shouldn't have come here. Juvia will leave." She gets up to leave assuming Gray's question was out of irritation rather than concern.

"Wait." Gray looks at her. "Come up, we'll have tea. I guess, we should talk."

* * *

 **I'm sure there'll be some people who'll probably think this chapter is a waste of time, but once I started it, i found it hard to stop. Also I guess this chapter shows that Juvia got the time to go wherever she wanted and then Gray got enough time to get to her.**

 **So, tell me what you think! Thank you for reading!**

 **Happy Easter everyone!**

 **Enjoy! Neepa :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Juvia looks at him with surprise written all over her face. "Umm… Juvia doesn't want to intrude on Gray-sama."

He takes her hand and leads her into the building. Gray lives in an apartment on the third floor. Juvia looks at the hand which is in Gray's hand.

"Why does Gray-sama care about Juvia?"

He sighs, "Because you are my nakama."

He opens the door to his home and lets Juvia in first. He, immediately, goes into the kitchen and puts a kettle on the stove. Juvia follows him and watches him.

"Juvia didn't come here for tea."

"That's all you're getting here." He says flatly.

"Juvia is, maybe, getting ahead of herself but Juvia is completely sure that Gray-sama was with her when she was in a coma. Juvia knows because she heard Gray-sama's voice."

He stiffens, "No, I was busy, helping with the reconstruction of the guild. The girls took turns to look after you."

"Why is Gray-sama lying to Juvia? Juvia knows that Gray-sama is not as cold-hearted as he wants everybody to think."

The kettle screams and Gray proceeds to pour hot water in the mugs in which he already put the tea bags. He sets the mugs on a small table with four chairs. He gestures for her to take a seat. She takes a seat and he takes a seat in front of her. They drink tea in silence for a short while.

"Is Gray-sama going to answer?"

"There is nothing to say."

She looks vexed, "Juvia wants Gray-sama to be honest."

He looks away. "Juvia, it's time for you to move on. I'm sure you'll find someone who is better than me. Someone who truly loves and che-"

Juvia stands up suddenly and knocks her mug in the process. "Juvia wants all of this to be with Gray-sama. Juvia doesn't want Gray-sama telling her that she should find happiness with someone else when Juvia is happy with Gray-sama." She is on the verge of tears now.

Gray ignores the tea on the table, gets closer to her and holds her by her elbows, "What you want is never going to happen. So isn't it better for you to look somewhere else rather than being stuck on someone who can never make you happy?"

"Juvia will never believe you."

"Why is it so hard for you to believe even after I've treated you so bad in the past?"

"Because Juvia loves Gray-sama. And Juvia knows that Gray-sama is only pushing her away because he doesn't want to get hurt and also hurt Juvia."

He is stunned by her analysis, "You read too many romance novels."

"No. Juvia is right."

"I think you should leave now." He lets go of her.

"Juvia is not leaving until Gray-sama tells her the truth."

"How come you are so sure that I'm in love with you?"

"Because that night when Gray-sama told Juvia that he will give her an answer after the Zeref business was over because he was hoping for a better future. A future with Juvia."

Gray's eyes widen. Despite the situation, he can't help but smirk at her. _'This girl just knows too much.'_ He pulls on a poker face quickly.

"Juvia, you are getting ahead of yourself."

"What are you afraid of, Gray-sama?"

"You should go." He gestures towards the door.

"No, Juvia is not leaving. It's high time Gray-sama realizes that Juvia is here to stay."

"You say that now but when the time came to fight, you readily laid down your life. Not just that, you transferred your blood into me. You died. You say you are here to stay, BS! The first chance you get to put your life in danger, you'll do it. For whom? For me! You are very reckless. You can give Natsu a run for his money." He says in a low but angry voice. "But at least he doesn't try to get himself killed!"

Juvia realizes that Gray is angry and distant because she almost killed herself while trying to save him.

"How will you be there for me when you're dead? If I agree to be with you now, you will end up setting it in your mind that to prove your love for me, you need to almost die. If you've done it once, you'll do it again. And in your madness to prove something to me, you'll get yourself killed. So, to keep you alive, I've decided to distance myself from you." A tear rolls down his face. "Even if we got together, I can see it end only in one way – you dying and me alone, dealing with pain I can never recover from."

Juvia attempts to put her arms around him but he pushes her arms away. "Isn't that what you told Polyusica-san? If you had to do it all over again, you'd do it to save me."

Her eyes widen when she's reminded of her words from yesterday.

"I was outside your room. I was absolutely right, even after a near death experience, you've not changed your stance. Don't people who have near death experiences think about living life to the fullest or something like that? But no, Juvia Lockser would like to go back in time to do it all over again even if it meant dying."

Tears freely roll down from his eyes.

"Look, I'm not saying that what you did is bad or something. What you did took a lot of guts. You're courageous, no doubt. But I don't want to spend my life worrying if you'd come back from a job or a fight alive. There are going to be more enemies and powerful mages to fight, I don't want to be afraid for your safety all the time. I need to be able to believe that you will come out of all those situations alive."

"Giving up your life should only be the last option like when nothing else will work. It is easier to die than to stay alive."

Juvia starts crying but for some strange reason it doesn't start raining outside.

"I still can't get that image out of my head, when I saw you dead. You were cold and for the first time ever in my life I hated the cold. How I wished, I could have warmed you up. How I wanted to bring you back to life even if we couldn't be together! All I wanted was for you to be alive."

Gray goes down on his knees and holds his head in his hands as he cries out loud. He let all of the pain he felt inside, come out. Juvia knells next to him and slowly wraps her arms around him and this time he doesn't push her off.

"Gray-sama, Juvia is sorry. But in all fairness, Gray-sama attempted to do the same thing." She whispers in his ear. "Didn't Gray-sama stab himself with an ice sword?"

Gray looks at her, eyes as wide as saucers, shocked that she turned it around on him. "But if you used that spell to revive me, doesn't it mean you could have used it on yourself? There was a possibility to save yourself."

She shakes her head, "Juvia can only use that spell on others. Juvia learned the spell to protect Gray-sama."

Keyes' words echo in her mind, _'I can see it. One day, that child will make the same choice his teacher did. Such is his future.'_

"Keyes told Juvia that Gray-sama was going to use Iced Shell in the future, so Juvia decided to learn the Blood Transfusion spell."

"Baka! That spell wouldn't have worked if I had used the Iced Shell! Nothing would've changed me back to my human form if I had succeeded in casting it."

"Juvia knows. But she needed to learn something strong in case something else happened to Gray-sama. Besides, Gray-sama was going to use Iced Shell on Zeref. Gray-sama was ready to lay his life down too."

"That was the only way I could stop Zeref. To defeat someone like him, I felt it was necessary to use the most powerful weapon I have. At Avatar, I learnt a stronger version of Iced Shell. He was the cause of everything that happened in my life. Even if I had lost my life, I wouldn't have minded it. At least, I would have taken him down with me."

Juvia looks at him with fear in her eyes, "What does Gray-sama mean by a stronger version of Iced Shell?"

"I had to give up everything not just my life but my memories, my feelings, the memories that other have of me…"

Juvia slaps him and looks at him with horror written all over her face. Gray holds the cheek that she slapped, shocked that Juvia of all the people slapped him.

"Why would Gray-sama even think of doing something like that? How could Gray-sama think of taking away Juvia's and the others' memories and feelings? Are we not important?"

He pulls away from her, "It is because you all are important that I was ready to do it. And since no one would remember me, it wouldn't even cause anyone any pain." He says loudly.

She lets out a bitter laugh, "Gray-sama, you are just like Juvia. You will give it your all for your nakama. While Juvia will go to any extent for her nakama, Gray-sama is more important for her and even death doesn't scare Juvia if it is to save Gray-sama."

He stares at her after her declaration and finds himself to be unable to say anything.

"This is not the first time Gray-sama saved Juvia. Gray-sama is always saving Juvia and just this once, Juvia returned the favour. Gray-sama is always there when Juvia is in trouble, isn't it fair that Juvia helps out, even if it is just this once."

"Don't you understand? I want you to be alive!"

"And Juvia will be, with Gray-sama. Gray-sama just said that when people have a near death experience, they want to live life to the fullest. Juvia wants to live her life to the fullest with her Gray-sama." She blushes and looks down. "Juvia wants to have children with Gray-sama. Juvia wants to grow old with Gray-sama. Maybe, in the near future, Gray-sama and Juvia will go on a job together."

"Juvia…." He realizes he doesn't know what to say to her and stops.

She takes his hand in hers, "Juvia wants a future with Gray-sama. Please, don't push Juvia away." She puts in all the emotion can muster into her words and looks him straight in eye.

Gray puts a hand on the side of her head and pulls her into an embrace. Juvia's eyes widen but slowly returns the embrace. "Tch, I can't believe you're going to make me say it out loud." He sighs. "I want the same things with you." He whispers and tightens his arms around her.

"Gray-sama!" She pulls back. "Does this mean what Juvia is thinking?" Her eyes sparkle in excitement.

"Don't spoil the moment." He pulls her in and pecks her on her cheek.

She blushes so much that her entire face goes red.

"Don't ever do that again, alright?" He says into her hair.

"Then Gray-sama must never use Iced Shell."

He sighs, "Fine."

"Then Juvia will not use Blood Transfusion spell again." She pauses, "Juvia should thank Natsu-san."

"Thank that Flame Brain?! Why?"

"For stopping Gray-sama from casting Iced Shell." She giggles at his antics. "Maybe Juvia should make him some Natsu buns."

"You don't have to do so much, just a thank you is enough. Actually, you don't even have to thank him."

"Natsu-san saved Gray-sama's life so he should be thanked properly. Maybe a bento." Juvia thinks.

In order to change the topic, Gray says, "I want you to call me only Gray. Nothing else."

Her face changes to an unreadable expression. "But Juvia likes saying Gray-sama!" she protests.

"Don't care how long it takes, you are going to call me Gray, at least Gray-kun is bearable. No, I'm aiming for just Gray." He narrows his eyes and looks at her seriously, "Say it."

"Gray…. –sama." She buries herself in his chest.

He sighs, "You lasted at least a second. We'll get there. Keep practicing." He sniffs her hair discreetly and smiles, "How about we start training again? Like we used to?"

Juvia nods happily, "After all, Gray-sama and Juvia have to get stronger."

Gray smiles and tightens his grip around Juvia.

* * *

 **Please read and review! tell me what you think! no matter what you say, I just don't see Gray as a guy who'd say those three little words easily, but in his own way he shows he cares. Isn't that the reason we love Gray?**

 **Thank you for all the reviews and also for adding the story to your lists! I appreciate the fact that you took the time out to read my story!**

 **Enjoy! Neepa :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A little more than a year later.

Over the year, Gray and Juvia spent a lot of time together. They even took on a few jobs together. They got to know each other better. Juvia stopped behaving like a crazy fan girl. Much to Gray's pleasure, she stopped baking Gray buns for him. But she makes him bentos sometimes and he absolutely loves them. Juvia stopped being jealous of her 'love-rivals', actually, she has none now. Everybody knew she trusted Gray with her life but now each and every day, the trust just keeps growing. She makes it a point to let Gray know that she loves him completely, every day.

Gray also changed a little bit. Gray always knew that when he and Juvia would get together things would become too real. The thing is Gray likes this reality. He still doesn't show his feelings openly but Juvia understands, that frustrates Gray sometimes. The fact that she's so understanding makes him feel guilty. Sometimes, he wishes that she'd say, "this is not going to work if Gray still treats her the same.' Then he'd do something desperate to make her stay. One change that the guild noticed was that Gray smiled more often now. She was growing so much on him that now, he finds it almost unbearable to be away from her. He likes having her close.

* * *

Gray shakes his head in amusement thinking about the first few times Juvia confessed her feelings for him.

"Why are you grinning like an idiot?"

Gray looks up the brunette sitting on the table with mug (instead of a barrel) of sake, "Nothing."

"Ohhhhhh…. Thinking about your giiiiirrrrrllllfffrrriiieeeennnnddddd!" Cana teases him.

"Shut up!" He glares. "Seems like your boyfriend is rubbing off on you too. No more barrels." He points out.

She blushes slightly. "It's not because of him. I decided that I wanna destroy my liver a little less now."

He snorts, "I'm sure you drink the same amount in mugs now."

"Whatever." Her smirks comes back on, "But I can tell you are thinking about Juvia."

"Yeah so? Gotta problem with that!" He says in an angry voice. The one thing that Gray doesn't like about his relationship with the water mage is the constant teasing from his guildmates. _'They all just love to get a raise out of me.'_

He feels something warm wrap around his neck gently. "Good Morning, Gray." Juvia says cheerfully and presses her lips on his temple. Yes, Gray finally succeeded in getting his girlfriend to call him only 'Gray'.

When Juvia was wrapping her arms around his neck, he knew it was her and a delicate smile plays on his face. He caresses one of her arms and leans into her kiss. More than the big declarations of love from her in the past, Gray enjoys these little moments.

He tilts his head up a little and Juvia enjoys the look of eagerness on his face for a second and then kisses him. "Good morning," he says after they finally break the kiss. "Did you come back just now?"

"No, Juvia came back late last night." She looks at Cana, "Good morning, Cana-chan"

"Good morning, Juvia."

He frowns at her, "Then why didn't you come over?"

"It was really late and Juvia didn't want to disturb Gray. Juvia figured Gray must have already slept off." Her eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Anyways, Juvia will report to the Master and come back in a moment." She places a chaste kiss on him temple and goes to talk to Erza.

' _But the thing is, I want you to disturb me, even if it is late in the night.'_ He frowns and looks at her talking to Erza along with Gajeel and Lily.

"KYA! Laxus you're back!" Cana squeals delightfully, rudely pulling Gray out of his reverie. And she jumps off the table to meet her boyfriend.

Laxus who's known to be completely stoic, cracks a small smile at the sight of Cana running up to him.

While Gray watches the interaction in between them, Juvia takes a seat next him on the bench. Gray notices and cracks a smile of his own. "So, how was the mission?"

"It was alright. Juvia and Gajeel-kun had some trouble in the beginning but they managed in the end." She gives him a triumphant smile.

"Good." Gray looks at the table awkwardly.

Juvia senses something is off. She places a hand on his, "What's going on, Gray?"

"I think, you should have come over to my place." He says after some thought.

"Why is Gray getting so worked up about this? It's not like this is the first time, Juvia went to her dorm." She gasps suddenly, "Did Juvia make you wait up all night? Juvia is so sorry."

"No no no. I didn't wait up. It's just that I thought you'd come over." He tells her and wraps his hand around her waist and pulls her closer. "I guess, I just missed you. You were gone a week." He places a little peck on her cheek.

She smiles in relief, "Juvia missed you too."

' _Gray, you very well know that that's not what you wanted to say to her.'_ He rebukes himself. "Juviamoveinwithme?"

"What was that Gray?"

"Here, you go, Juvia!" Lisanna places a plate which has a huge omelet and whole wheat bread toast.

"Thanks Lisa-chan." She says absentmindedly and turn back to Gray, "Gray was saying?"

He looks at her. Straight in the eye, "Juvia, move in with me?" He says confidently.

She covers her open jaw with her palm and looks at him with wide eyes.

Lisanna who was only a few paces away from the table, turns around in shock, "OMG!"

The couple ignores her.

"Or we can move into a new apartment if you think that we need a bigger one." Gray tries to come up with good reasons. "A lot of your stuff is at my place anyway so it won't really change a lot. And we go on missions so often, it would be nice to come home to each other. Plus, we've already lived together before, it wasn't so bad and that was when we were not even dating. Think how great it'll be now?" His eyes sparkle with excitement.

"Yes. Juvia would love to move in with Gray." She hugs him tight, "Juvia loves Gray." She whispers to him.

"Gray loves Juvia too." He mimics her and places a chaste kiss on her lips.

The entire guild cheers for them. As soon as Lisanna heard Gray pop the question, she told the person next to her, well word travelled really fast that something big was happening and all eyes were glued on the couple. Everyone congratulates the couple even before they've had a chance to process everything that happened in a short span of time.

"We'll go celebrate with some 'caramade franks' later." Gray tells her.

The water mage is lost in thought

"Juvia, Juvia, Ju…..via…." He waves his palm in front of her face.

"Sorry, what is it, Gray?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Juvia will move in next month. The thing is, Juvia has already paid the rent for this month, so she can't move."

"Ya, I can't move out until next month either." He tells her seriously.

"No, Juvia doesn't think Gray should change the apartment. Gray and Juvia don't need a big apartment now."

"Yup, we can wait a bit longer. Save up some more jewels and then get a bigger places."

"But Juvia will not cook every time. Sometimes, Gray has to cook for her as well." She declares pretty boldly.

He looks at her in shock, "But I don't know how to cook. I can only cook eggs."

She looks at him expectantly.

He sighs, "How about we do it together? It'll be more fun and exciting." He has a sexy glint in his eyes.

"Ewwwww… Don't ever invite me to your place for food!" Natsu says loudly from another table before Juvia can reply.

Gray's vein on the head pops, "No one was talking to you, Human Torch!"

"But I was talking to you, Ice prick."

"Do you wanna get beat up Natsu?!" He gets up from the bench and glares at the pink haired mage.

He scoffs, "Like that's ever happening."

Gray and Natsu get into a fight with the rest of the guild joining minutes later, while the girls shake their heads in disappointment. Except Juvia that is.

"Gray, you can beat Natsu-san up!" Juvia cheers him on just like always. "Gray can do it!"

Some things never change.

* * *

 **That's it for this story! I hope you all liked it! Please let me know what you think.**

 **Most epilogues show them as married and with kids but I wanted to write something that let the readers know they'll be okay and that they are moving forward at their own pace.**

 **Enjoy! Neepa :-)**


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